Buckle for straps and belts



July 22. 1924. 1,502,572

A. H. KERNGooD BUCKLE FOR STRAPS AND BELTS Filed Sept. 25. 1923 Patented duly 22, 192.4.

nait-se stares rarest criteres.

ALLEN H. KERNGOOD, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSlGNOEt TO ALMA MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY OF BALTIMORE CITY, GF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORI-OBA- TION OF MARYLAND.

BUCKLE FOR STRAPS AND-BELTS.

Application filed September 25, 1923. Serial No. 664,757.

invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Buckles for Straps and Belts, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. Y Y

The object of this invention is toY provide a buckle for use on straps,belts and the like, for securing or carrying bundles, packages, and articles, and also Vfor personal wear, which embodies as characteristic features, facility of engagement with the lstrap or belt, security in use and ease of release.

rllhe invention is in the nature of a slide buckle, in which the frame and slide are so constructed and arranged that the i slide has a right-line movement in the frame to cramp the strap or belt between itself and the frame in order to secure the strap or belt in adjusted position and by a reverse movement to release it; the fixed end of the strap or belt being clamped tothe frame by a floating clamping lever, as l Iwill proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings illust-rating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a top plan view, Fig. 2 is an inverted view and Fig. 3 is a rear end view of the frame, about one commercial size, the aftermentioned views being enlarged. Fig, 4 is a longitudinal section of the frame. Fig. 5 is a top plan view, and Fig. 6 an inverted view ofthe complete buckle, and Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section thereof. 8 is a longitudinal section o f the buckle with a strap or belt in held position therein. Fig. 9. is a perspective view of the slide detached. Fig. 19 is a longitudinal section of a modification of the slide. n

The frame may be made of sheet metal, by any usual or approved plans and means, and comprises the channel side bars 1 connected by the face plate 2, the latter having a narrow transverse slot 3 at its forward end, the metal of the slot being folded back upon and underneath the face plate, as indicated at a, to reinforce the forward end of the face plate and afford a smooth edge 5 for the strap to bear against without marring it. The rear end of the face plate is provided with a somewhat longer transverse slot,'6, a. part of the vmetal cut out to form said slot being rolled back upwardly or over the rear end of the face plate to form a finger rest 7, yas will presently appear.

The metal of the lower flanges 8 of the channel side bars 1 is cut to form the parallel strips 9 .which are turned toward the face plate, and have the Aopen spaces 10 between them in which the pintles of the floating clamping lever play and by whiohsaid lever' is localized.

Asshown in Fig. 6 the ends of the lower flanges 8 are rounded off so as to 'avoid sharp projections and to preserve the symmetry of the buckle frame'.

As bestseen in Fig. 9, the slide 11 has the top piece 12 with the 'edge yflanges 18, and these edge flanges are of a height to fit accurately in the channel side bars l in such way as to permit the slide to move freely within and longitudinally of the side bars, but without any appreciable tilting or sluing motion. This top piece 12 is provided with a transverse slot 14; one portion of the metal cut away in its formation being turned downwardly and its edge preferably curved, to form a strap or belt engaging lip 15, and another portion, after the slide is in place, being bent upwardly and its edge curved or otherwise formed, to form a second lip 16 likewise to engage the strap or belt. lf desired the downturned lip 15 may have its cramping edge bent rearwardly as shown at 17, Fig. 10, tof enhance its cramping effect ory it may be roughened or provided with teeth forl the same purpose. The. outer or frontend of the' slide has an upturned lip 18 to afford a cfinger-'hold for use in moving theislide out of engagement with the strap or belt. Y

'The device for attaching the 'buckle to the strap or belt consists of a lever 19, having the toothed bar 20 provided with laterally extending pintles 21 which enter the spaces 10 between the parallel strips 9 so as to permit the lever to ride up and down yin the frame in order to adapt itself to the strap or belt and yet be restrained from movement or escape longitudinally from the frame. A finger piece 22 is formed on the lever by which'the lever may be rocked upon its pintles to engage and release the strap or belt.

As shown in Fig. 8, one end of the strap or belt 23 is extende-d into the frame beneath its face plate 2 and between the side bars, and then is engaged by the toothed portion 2O of the clamping lever 19, the lower flanges 8 of the side bars being used as fulcra for the pintles of said clamping lever and the leading end of the strap or belt serving as an abutment against which the angle between the parts 20 and Q1 rests. The free end 211 of the strap or belt 23 is Vpassed upwardly from the back of the buckle through the slot 14 in the slide and the slot 5 in the frame and then turned rearwardly through the slot 6 and under the rolled linger rest 7 and on top of the fastened end ofthe strap or belt, two bi'ghts being` put in the free end ofthe strap by the lips 15 and 16 of the slide and the free end of the strap being thereby cramped against the .edge 5 of the frame, and thus the free end of the strap held securely.

@ne characteristic feature of this invention vis the ease with which the strap or belt may be adjusted and released, and to this end the buckle may be held by one handV and the thumb and fingers 'of the other hand Y used to bear upon the finger rest 7 and the lip 18 and to thereby press the slide rearwardly, that is to say, toward the finger rest 7, which has the effect of instantly releasing the hold of the slide on the free end of the strap or belt to permitits adjustment or removal.

By reason of the fact that the side bars are of channel form and the slide has the flanges 13 working therein with a relatively close fit, the slide is readily and accurately movable, without any tendency to bind or slue out of position.

The buckle is specially adapted for use on straps or bands employed as package, bundle or article carriers, although of course it is useful for Vother purposes, such .as on apparel or trousers belts.

The lip 15 is particularly useful in connection with fabricated rubber or rubberized straps or belts. The rearwardly turned or curved lip 17 shown in Fig. 10 is specially useful in connection with textile straps or belts.

Variations in the details of construction are permissible within the principle of the invention and the scope of the claims following.

lhat l claim is z* Y 1. A buckle having a frame provided with channel side bars and a slide having side flanges and accurately mounted and slidable in said channel side bars.

v2. A buckle having channel side bars, a strap or belt gripping slide mounted yfor longitudinal movement in said channel side bars and having a lip at its outer end, and a finger rest upon the rear end of the frame.

3. A buckle having channel side bars, and a strap gripping slide provided with downturned side flanges to engage such side bars and capable or" longitudinal movement therein, and also vhaving oppositely arranged strap cramping lips on opposite edges of a transverse slot made in said slide.

1. A buckle having a face plate and chanv nel side bars provided with parallel strips extending from the bottom flanges upwardly to the back of the face plate and spaced apart, and a floating clamping lever having pintles arranged in the spaces between said strips.

5. A buckle having side bars of channel form, a face plate connecting said side bars, means to engage the free end of a strap or belt and a clamping lever for anchoring the other end of the strap or belt, said lever pivotally mounted in said side bars and having fulcra on the lower flanges of the channel side bars and adapted to clamp the strap or belt against the face plate. Y ,Y

6. A buckle having side bars of chan nel form, a face plate connecting said side bars, and a strap or belt clamping lever pivotally mounted in said side bars and having fulcra on the lower flanges of the channel side bars and adapted to clamp the strap or belt against the face plate, the lower flanges of the side bars having upturned spaced-apart strips to locate the clamping lever and hold it against movement longitudinally of the side bars.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand this 211th day of September A. D. 1923i ALLEN H. KERNGGOD. VVi-tnesses Y M. F. BoswnLL, C. M. GroneY 

